Fallout Fanfiction Wiki:Manual of Style
Although labeled as a manual and guideline, the Manual of Style is, indeed, a policy, and must be treated as such. Topic and content The topic and content of an article must be relevant to Fallout and its metaverse. Erotica and "shock" content has no place on this wiki (or, indeed, wikia as a whole), even if it is relevant to the Fallout universe. Beyond this, the topic of the article can be whatever the author wishes it to be. There are only a few limitations on this, outlined below. Articles must be logical The topic of an article has be well-constructed. It has to be based in some logical line of thinking, not simply deus ex machina or alien space-bats. Take into consideration the following bulletpoints: *'How:' What methods and resources were used to accomplish a feat as described in the article? These have to be logical in context -- one simply cannot have, for instance, a medieval-era people developing energy weapons and spaceships. *'Why:' What was the motivation or the external factors that coalesced into the topic? People almost never do something for the sake of doing it, they must have some motivation or 'push' to do what has been described. *'Who:' Inventions and events don't simply come about; they're created by people and groups. Explaining who was behind the event, discovery, et cetera, goes a long way in lending credibility to the author. Articles that rely on ASB or deus ex machina, are subject to deletion if they are not modified. Overlapping areas of interest It's entirely understandable that several people could take interest in the same subject matter, from different points of view. However, editors should attempt to keep all of the articles in some kind of common timeline -- as described in the wiki's Timeline of events. Essentially, topics are "first-come, first-served": if there is a preexisting article on a given subject, there should not be a second article on the same subject. However, this is still a communal site -- and as such, all editors can edit all articles (with the exception of story-type articles, which should be watched over by their creator) provided they continue along a similar line of thinking (that is to say, not completely changing a given person's background at the drop of a hat). Canon Canon is to be used as the basis for any article. Retconning of canonical details is not allowed, though expansion or alteration is allowed as long as it doesn't change the overall nature of the canon subject. Article Layout One of the most important parts of wiki editing is how to structure an article. The structure is a powerful thing: it dictates what information the reader reads and when he or she reads it. It can influence what people contribute, where it goes, and how it might be written. Structure has the power to inform or confuse the same way good or bad writing does. Keep a well structured article, and you're more likely to have a high quality one. Organize sections in an article in a hierarchical structure like you would an outline. Keep it logical, but feel free to forsake strict logic for readability. Wherever possible, try to have an introduction for each section. Just like the article as a whole, the section should start with an introduction and then have its subsections below it. Try using a shallow structure rather than a deep one. Too many nested sections usually leads to a confusing or unreadable article. Above all, keep your layout consistent. Don't throw your reader a curve ball too often. The following sections will offer some good advice on keeping your articles clean, consistent, and clear. Lead Section Unless an article is very short, it should start with an introductory lead section, before the first subheading. The lead should not have it's own header. It should be between one or two paragraphs long, and should be written in a clear and accessible style so that the reader is encouraged to read the rest of the article. The lead should introduce the subject, outlining any alternative names and its significance to the Fallout universe, before moving on to a brief overview of the subject, such as, where appropriate, where the subject is manufactured, by whom it is used, and its specifications. The title should be the subject of the first sentence of the article. The first time the article mentions the title, put it in bold. Avoid other uses of bold in the first sentence, except for alternative titles for the subject. Table of Contents A table of contents will automatically appear in articles with a minimum of four headings (unless forced by the below options). By default this will be left-aligned above the first section heading. The below options are only available in source mode editing: * To the force a table of contents to appear, type: __TOC__ (contents will appear where this line is typed) * To completely remove the table of contents from a page, type: Sections Use level 2 headings for main headings. Do not use a level 1 heading as this creates a heading the same size as the page title. For subsequent, sub-headings, use progressively larger level headings, first 3, then 4 Always keep headings short and simple. Headings are guidelines to your page's structure and should inform the reader rather than confuse. To keep it short, avoid unnecessary words or redundancy in headings, i.e. avoid a, an, and the, pronouns, repeating the article title, and so on. Also, try to avoid giving identical titles to different sections, as this complicates the 'jump to' function in the contents. Universe details can be organized in a number of ways. Typically for events, the sections are organized in chronological order, with subheadings for each minor event within the timeline. Weapons, armor, and vehicles should all have a development, specifications, and usage/service history section. People can be organized in terms of a biography, with a section on their early life, followed by one on their later life, et cetera. Communities, organizations, and other groups are organized in-article with a section on their history, one listing their resources, and so on for other notable features of the community or organization. Images and Videos Images and videos make an article memorable and good looking. They can speak where words fail. At the same time, misplaced or untidy images or videos can detract from an article. When choosing images or videos, keep in mind placement, size, and appropriateness. Let images and videos flow with the text instead of break it up. Images should always be of a retro or "Fallout" style, black-and-white, or color with degraded quality, or art-deco type drawings or prints. Images should never be taken from a game or game mod unless placed on a game article -- these look extremely unprofessional and often don't fit with the overall tone of an article, especially given that articles are almost always written from an in-universe perspective. Similarly, videos should only be in a retro style, with degraded audio and visual quality. Tables Tables should use a 'class' design when possible, and should include as little 'fancy' formatting as possible. Tables can also be made sortable by adding a 'sortable' class. 'Alt' class is discouraged. Quotations Quotations are discouraged. When quotations are included, they should use this template. Quotations should only be used when they clearly add context or information to an article, rather than just for the sake of it. Profane quotations should only be used in exceptional circumstances End sections If references are used, they should be listed using the reflist template. Reference lists should always be located below any content, but above any other headings. The last sections, where applicable, should be 'See also' (for internal links) followed by 'External links' (for internet links), both under level 2 headings. Use bullets to list links. Categories No page - whether article, project page, template or category itself - should ever be uncategorized. There are a range of categories covering almost all topics, most of which can be found by viewing the navbar at the top of the page. Pages should only be placed in relevant categories. One can categorize the page in a number of ways. From source mode it is possible to type [[category:categoryname]]; from the pageview, one can add categories by scrolling to the bottom of the page and using the relevant button; from the new wiki editing layout, one can also simply add categories by finding them in the box to the right of the screen. The exception to this are categories themselves, which may be categorized in article-only categories in the interests of creating a sub-category. Grammar and Formatting Grammar is a writer's toolbox. You can't build good sentences without knowing how to use your tools. Since a wiki article must be as clear as possible for all the people reading it, editors must keep close to correct grammar standards to ensure clear communication. As normally, only capitalize the start of sentences and then proper nouns thereafter. Italics are used for the titles of works, such as games. Where the subject of another article is referred to, the other article should be linked to. However, this should only be done on the first mention. Thereafter they should not be linked to; linking to one article multiple times on the same page is referred to as "overlinkage", and it can slow down loading times. Writing We now come to the meat of an article: the words themselves. When you are editing wikis, you must be both academic and artistic. You have to be accurate, but you also have to be interesting. Neither one can dominate; you must skillfully balance both. *'Be concise.' Don't use two words where one will do. Keeping your writing simple will make it easy to understand and easy to expand on. Use complete sentences whenever possible. *'Check your spelling and grammar.' Do not use 'u' in place of 'you' or '2' in place of 'to'. Write the way you would for a class paper or a newspaper article. The format of English doesn't matter; all variants of English are permissible. *'Keep all of the topics you cover within the scope of the article.' What that means is, you don't need to give a detailed history of humans on a page about Winston Churchill. Consider the article's title as your point of origin and write from that perspective. Make use of the wiki's ability to link to more detailed articles or external sources for more information. *'Write from an impersonal perspective.' Do not use 'I'. Completely avoid drawing attention to the author (yourself). Do not use the impersonal 'you', either, which refers to the reader. *'Maintain article neutrality.' All pages should be written from a neutral point of view. Avoid pointless adjectives that insert personal bias into an article and do not definitively say that something such as a weapon is relatively good or bad unless it can be statistically proven. *'Don't make up words.' English is one of the world's most comprehensive languages. There is bound to be a word to describe your needs. Remember, no wikian is Shakespeare. If stuck, use the Wiktionary. M